Who can forget Mahesh Babu’s title track Nee dookudu in Dookudu (2011)? The song went onto to become a chartbuster and Meenakshi Dixit, who grooved with Mahesh in that special number, has hogged the limelight for her scintillating dance moves. The Raebareli girl who rose from ranks of special songs to a leading lady has once again teamed up with her Dookudu co-star in his upcoming action drama Maharshi. “I will be seen as Nidhi, an ultra chic modern and stylish girl, who was born and raised in New York (Manhattan). She becomes a companion to Rishi (Mahesh) and is quite fond of him. They share emotions and she is someone who is always there for him. It’s a challenging role and my acting experience was totally different,” says Meenakshi.
The actor says she has derived inspiration from a popular Netflix series to pull off her character from Maharshi. “I’ve watched all the eight episodes of Suits and found that the character of Rachel Zane (played by Meghan Markle) has similarities to Nidhi. Watching Meghan’s performance helped me understand this role better,” she adds.
Meticulous research went behind every dress that Meenakshi’s role will be wearing and her designers, Ashwin Reddy and Rajesh worked closely with director Vamshi Paidipally to bring the desired look. “I will be sporting two different looks in the film and my director wanted them to be subtle and natural. So, I changed my hairstyle, chose to go for an all-nude makeup face and used mascara to make my eyes look bright. We don’t have enough time to go to New York to buy my costumes. So, my designers have sourced them from Mumbai and other places. Everything had to be stitched and I’m sure my costumes will be way ahead of our times,” beams Meenakshi with confidence.
Ask her how did she jazz up her appearance for the character, the Devaraya actor reveals, “Vamshi did extensive research and was clear of how he wanted to see me in the film. He gave some references of the latest creative offerings that were displayed at the New York Fashion Week and my designers were in sync with him to arrive at colour tones, look and the styling is in concurrence with the latest fashion trends that are in vogue around the world,” explains Meenakshi.
On working with Mahesh, she says, “A lot has changed since Dookudu. Back then, I wasn’t serious about pursuing a career in the industry and was playfully gave it a try. As years passed by, I’ve become a matured person and made a mark across industries. And Maharshi came to me at an appropriate time and it feels fantastic to work with Mahesh garu again. He is an amazing person and is chilled out on the sets. I met his family too and they were really sweet.”
Does she have a dance number with Mahesh? “No...I will be seen in a montage song. I think people have seen enough of me dancing and it’s time they get to see the different side of me as an actor,” she signs off.
The writer can be contacted at muralikrishna.db@newindianexpress
Twitter- @onlymurali